New Mars Forums

Yesterdays florida today article had a one liner on robotic moon missions.

quote:
That figure does not include $29 billion for robotic missions to scout the moon.

So if we are going to the moon we will have to rely either on old data of from other nations and just wing it hoping for the best if the money does not get put back in at a later date.

It appears that even though Nasa will get more money in the 2005 budget versus the 2004, there is still the need in order to make ends meet for the initiative leading Nasa to cut or delay science or even robit missions or programs.

Bush's NASA directive clouds other missions
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/sp … usat_x.htm

"But a report released Wednesday says that if NASA proceeds as planned with that type of space exploration, it will put on hold long-scheduled missions to understand the sun's solar blasts."

Well I have been thinking of the 3 ship senerio and of the time line for each noting that any one that fails puts the mission in jepody and that each ship even if they are somewhat modular are really 3 very different ships in design.

My though would be to spread each of the basic functions across all equally but that also precludes a very acurate landing system such that each could be within meters of each other not miles. If that is not possible then I feel that some means to make them somewhat mobile is in need to get them into closer proximity to each other.

Next thought was on crew size, when we did apollo there was a crew of 3 though 1 was left in orbit. If each is of a balanced design with each having 3 crew mebers then the total on the surface of 9 is very attractive to making the mars base with a high degree of chance for sucess.

In current day Iraq it would be when the number of terrorist numbers match very closely that of all other troops that are there to bring in democracy.

It only took 12 days of radio silence but they are back and Nasa has found a way to fund them for continued research.
Both rovers have done a great job.

Could the next rovers have a side car, I want to take a short ride while they explore the surface just joking I am sort of tired of arm chair viewing.

Rover Missions Renewed as Mars Emerges from Behind Sun
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/se … erges.html

Opportunity's Travels During its First 205 Martian Days
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery....1a.html

Spirit's Travels During its First 238 Martian Days
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ … 0921a.html

Another reason why mars is a poor choice may be due impart to our current fuel tank technology and or fuels.

Misbehaving liquid sent into space
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996435

I agree, since making more than a few of something usually drives down the cost. Make only slight alterations to functional blocks of tools or of testing apperatus for what it is that we wish to learn from each mission.

Results of yesterdays Appropriations  hearing.
As a result, there are some cuts, particularly in the exploration vision: $160 million cut from the CEV, $50 million from the robotic lunar exploration program, $10 million from Centennial Challenges, and an unspecified amount from Project Prometheus. These cuts, though, are less severe than what House appropriators approved in July.

NASA budget OK'd by Senate panel
$16.4 billion bill allows extra funds for Hubble, shuttle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/space/2808048

Senate panel OKs extra money for NASA
Committee would reverse House budget cuts

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6067433/

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Tuesday to increase NASA's budget by about $200 million over the President's request, for a total of $16.4 billion.

http://appropriations.senate.gov/releas … ?id=226469

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): is funded at $16.379 billion, an increase of $200 million over the FY04 enacted level, and a reduction of $665 million from the budget request. An additional $800 million in emergency funding was added for NASA during the Committee’s consideration of the bill.

-- The return to flight activities for the Shuttle program are funded at $4.319 billion, the requested level from the Administration.

-- The International Space Station is funded at $1.6 billion. The bill reduces ISS operations by $120 million due to the continued reduced capability of the ISS for at least half of FY05.

-- The Moon/Mars vision:

--- The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is funded at $268 million.

--- A lunar exploration mission is funded at $20 million.

Genesis craft to be hauled back home
Jeffco facility to study why capsule crashed

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn....00.html

Results of yesterdays Appropriations  hearing.

NASA budget OK'd by Senate panel
$16.4 billion bill allows extra funds for Hubble, shuttle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/space/2808048

Senate panel OKs extra money for NASA
Committee would reverse House budget cuts

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6067433/

http://appropriations.senate.gov/releas … ?id=226469

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): is funded at $16.379 billion, an increase of $200 million over the FY04 enacted level, and a reduction of $665 million from the budget request. An additional $800 million in emergency funding was added for NASA during the Committee’s consideration of the bill.

-- The return to flight activities for the Shuttle program are funded at $4.319 billion, the requested level from the Administration.

-- The International Space Station is funded at $1.6 billion. The bill reduces ISS operations by $120 million due to the continued reduced capability of the ISS for at least half of FY05.

-- The Moon/Mars vision:

--- The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is funded at $268 million.

--- A lunar exploration mission is funded at $20 million

Polar location for base drives up energy comsumption in the form of needed heating is the only draw back as a singular base but add to that equation sending more of them, placing them on a line towards the equator, connecting one to another for sharing of resources like power, oxygen, water and more possibly include tunnels as part of the interconnection to each other.

Another thread also mention water and methane over lap in these areas in three broad equatorial regions: Arabia Terra, Elysium Planum and Arcadia-Memnonia, which might be just as favorable for bases to be placed at.

More posting on this topic under unmanned probe.